According to Portuguese transfer source Pedro Almeida, Manchester United is moving “closer and closer” to a move for Benfica striker Darwin Nunez.
During the 2021-22 season, the 22-year-old has been in terrific form with the Eagles, scoring 34 goals in 40 games while also giving six assists.
Nunez’s contract with Benfica has more than three years left on it, but the Portuguese giants are unlikely to be able to keep him during the summer transfer window.
A number of top European teams have been connected with the Uruguay international, with Manchester United said to be among the frontrunners for his signature in the forthcoming transfer window.
According to Almeida, Erik ten Hag’s side are now closing in on a deal for the centre-forward, with the Premier League giants placing an offer of €80m (£67.4m) on the table.
The attacker leads the Primeira Liga with 26 goals this season, six more than Porto’s Mehdi Taremi, and he has also impressed in the Champions League, scoring six times in ten matches.
The Uruguayan scored three times in the European Cup group stage against Barcelona and Bayern Munich, as well as against Ajax in the round of 16, before scoring home and away in Benfica’s 6-4 aggregate loss to Liverpool in the competition’s quarter-finals.
Eighteen of Nunez’s 34 club goals this season have come when he has started through the middle, while he has tallied 10 goals in five appearances starting from the left, and his versatility makes him an appealing option for Manchester United, who beat Brentford 3-0 in their final home match of the season on Monday night.
Diego Forlan has his say on Darwin Nunez transfer news
former United striker and Uruguayan legend Diego Forlan has encouraged his fellow countryman to make the move to Old Trafford. Forlan believes that the Benfica striker would be a good fit at United and has prompted the two to conclude a deal.
Speaking to Breaking the Lines, the former United striker said of Nunez:
“I think that he is a very good player, a good kid who is doing really well at Benfica and is enjoying a strong season.
“It is not just the Portuguese league where he is doing well but in the Champions League, too, where he scored six goals this season and helped take Benfica to the quarter finals.
“He is a player who has a lot of potential and he could fit in at Manchester United. But obviously, everyone needs to have patience, although he is getting better with more and more experience.
Nunez was a standout in this season’s Champions League, most notably in the group stage triumph over Barcelona, where he netted a brace in the 3-0 victory.
His biggest goal came in Benfica’s Round of 16 win over Ajax, followed by goals in both legs of the quarter final against Liverpool, which Benfica lost 6-4 on aggregate.
